A fish out of Water
by mermaid from mako island
Summary: Sirena, Nixie, and Lyla have always worried about the threat of exposure, but what if it actually happens? Find out how they deal with this new crisis that every mermaid tries to avoid. Set during episode six.
1. Chapter 1

I smile as the water rushes smoothly over my tail. This is what I was made for. I'll admit land can be fun, but I'll always return to the ocean. Lyla and Sirena are still off befriending Zac. I slow down as the loud noise of a motor slices through the water. I look up to see a boat heading towards my. I keep swimming at a slower pace, keeping an eye on the boat all the while. It continues, as if following me.

'Nixie your well below the surface, they can't see you and they aren't following you.' I scold myself. I shake my head and swim faster, torpedoing through the water. The boat picks up speed. Worried, I quickly turn around, speeding right past it and continuing the other way. As I near the canal, I surface and look around. The same boat is heading towards the docks. I quickly dunk under the water and press myself against a leg of one of the docks. As the boat drifts closer I can make out the voices of whoever is riding it.

"Where'd it go?"

"I don't care anymore, just let me off."

"Alright. You wanna walk home? Fine, get off then." I hear footsteps above me and the boat propeller starts and the boat moves away a little. I listen to make sure the coast is clear. I try to push-off, but I don't go anywhere. I look down to see that the blue netting surrounding the leg of the dock was now wrapped around my fin. I flick my tail a few times, but it only entangles me more. I struggle to break free.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's down there. Under the jetty." A voice calls.

"Just leave it alone, man." A voice replies overhead. It sounds like David. I continue my vain attempt to get free, I can't be seen.

"Turn your boat, and get out of here." David yells.

"Are you crazy? I'm not going anywhere." The other voice calls back.

"You're the one who's crazy." David retorts. "Don't be stupid, you're scaring it." I go invisible to keep from being seen.

"What's up?" A new voice asks. I think it's Zac. I must be under the dock near his house.

"My idiot brother's chased something into the canal. It's down there." David replies.

"What is it?" Zac asks.

"Don't know. A dolphin maybe, we're not sure." David says.

"Hey Sirena, scope it out. Take a look." The unnamed voice says.

'Sirena's here? That means Lyla must be too.' I look around above me, trying to see either of them.

"Ignore him alright?" David says. I hear footsteps moving towards the corner of the jetty where I am.

"I can't see it." Zac says.

"Joe scared it with his boat. He's been stalking it." David explains. So that must be the other voice.

"Well, why doesn't it take off?" Zac asks. I look down at my fin irritably.

"I don't know. Maybe its hurt." David guesses.

I look up to see Sirena and Lyla leaning over the side of the dock. I turn visible and point to my tangled fin. Their eyes widen.

"I think I saw a dolphin." Sirena says immediately.

"It can't be!" Joe exclaims.

"I'm pretty sure it was." Sirena insists.

"Me too. I think it's a rare one." Lyla says. I go invisible again. This is getting difficult. I can't remain invisible for long, I can already feel my strength waning. That and eventually I'm going to need oxygen.

"No way! Its way to fast." Joe insists. I start to flicker in and out of visibility. I won't be able to hold this for much longer.

"He's not leaving. What if he takes a closer look?" Lyla says quietly. I certainly hope he doesn't.

"Nixie can't stay invisible forever." Sirena states nervously. And it's true; I don't think I can hold it for another two minutes. They'd better think of something quick.

"Can't you make him go?" Lyla asks frantically.

"He won't listen to me." David says. I go completely visible. I can't hold it any longer, I don't have the strength. I tug desperately at the netting.

"Hey, hey, hey it's still there. Dave it's still there. Have a look man." Joe calls. How does he even know?

"Moron, I can't believe I'm related to that." David says.

"Jump in. if you don't I will." Joe says. No please don't. I continue to tug at the netting.

"He's going in." Lyla cries. "Can't you stop him?"

"I tried." David says. There's a splash as the boy, that was talking to David at the café earlier, enters the water. I desperately try to go invisible, but nothing happens, my power is used up. he looks at me, and his eyes widen. He scrambles out of the water, and back onto his boat.

"What? What did you see." David asks.

"I-I gotta call someone. A scientist, a-a someone." Joe says shakily. A few heartbeats pass.

"Hello? Marine life research facility? Yes um, there's something you might want to see. I'm not sure what it is. What yeah. Um ok. The docks. Yeah, alright." The boat engine start as joe pulls his boat up beside the dock.

"What was that all about." David asks.

"You're never gonna believe this man, but I just saw. A-a mermaid. It was under the dock. I think its stuck." He explains. Sirena gasps.

"A mermaid? Man you are crazy." David retorts.

"I swear man, check it out." Joe replies.

"We have to get Nixie out of there." Lyla whispers frantically.

"Yeah, but how?" Sirena asks. "They're bound to notice if we leave." Before Lyla can reply, I hear the sound of tires, and car doors slamming shut.

"What's going on here?" a woman asks.

"My brother claims he saw a mermaid." David says.

"A mermaid. Kid, we have important work to do. We don't have time for stupid jokes." The woman snaps.

"Janice, he looks pretty shaken up, mermaid or not, there's definitely something that he saw." A male voice says. "It might be worth checking out."

"I suppose you're right. Alright kid where did you see your so-called mermaid?" the woman asks.

"Under the jetty, I think its stuck. If you don't believe me, look at my boats fish finder." Joe says. I hear him and someone else jump onto the boat.

"I've never seen images like that before. Carl suit up, I want to take a closer look." The woman orders. Please stay out of the water. Just a little longer, and then I'll be able to go invisible again. A few minutes later someone jumps off the dock. She's in diving gear and her long brown hair in flowing freely behind her. She looks startled when she sees me. Her eyes drift down to my entangled tail. She surfaces.

"Carl get in here, and bring those line clippers." She says.

"Sure thing Janice." The male voice replies. Janice comes back under water and swims slowly towards me. I shrink back against the jetty. There's a splash overhead as a second diver enters the water. He's so shocked that he almost drops the large scissors in his hands. The female diver points to me and does a bunch of weird hand motions that I believe are a form of communication. The male diver nods and inches his was towards me carefully. I struggle to break free. The diver grabs the netting and begins to cut through it. I stare at him. They're really helping me? Pressure begins to build on my lungs, as I reach the point where oxygen is necessary. I attempt to reach the surface. My efforts don't go unnoticed either. The female diver points to me, then the surface, and does more weird motions. The male diver nods and gets faster. The scissors nick my tail and I try to pull away from the dock and the divers. The male diver struggles to keep hold of the netting. Quickly the female diver, Janice according to the other diver, swims up to me and grabs my arms. Fear sweeps through me and I try to pull away, but she has me in a gentle but firm grip that I can't break. She keeps me from moving and I realize that it's so that the other diver can keep cutting. I try to keep still so that he doesn't cut my fin off. Once she's sure I'm not going to flail about, Janice takes her one hand off my arm and reaches into a pouch on her waist. She pulls out something small and pointy. It's filled with a strange liquid. I don't like the look of it. Before I can react, she quickly pushes the pointy end into my arm. I gasp and a stream of bubbles escapes my lips. It doesn't hurt too much though. She removes the object and lets go of me. I start to see black spots in front of my eyes. The other diver cuts through the last piece of netting. I will my tail to propel me out of here, but it just sinks, as though someone tied a bolder to it. I feel like I'm made of stone as my fin brushes against the sandy bottom. I try to move, but I can barely keep my eyes open. I feel hands grabbing me and bringing me towards the surface, before everything goes black…

I watch the water. We should have gotten Nixie out of there. Now we've been exposed.

"We have to help her." Sirena whispers to me.

"Just wait a minute, maybe she's still invisible, maybe they didn't see her." I say, though I know I'm running on false hope. "Sirena, go find Rita, she might know what to do." Sirena runs off. I watch as both people surface. My hopes shatter as I see a flash of orange scales just below the surface. Why doesn't Nixie just swim off? Now I know something is wrong. The woman gets out of the water, while the other one remains.

"Well, you were right." She says to Joe.

"You're not serious?" David asks.

"I am. I won't lie to you, this could be one of the biggest discoveries ever." She says.

"Are you sure it's not just a trick?" Zac asks.

"More than positive. Look this needs to remain confidential for now alright." She says, glaring at all of us.

"Alright." David agrees.

"Fine, just keep it away from me." Joe says "That's unnatural."

"As long as it won't be hurt." Zac says reluctantly. I ignore her demand.

"What's going to happen to her?" I ask. "You're going to let her go right?" the woman shakes her head.

"No we can't. For all we know she could be the only one of her kind. We need to take her back to the lab. I want to make sure she wasn't injured, when she got tangled in that net." The woman says.

"You do intend to release her later right?" Zac asks.

"We'll see." The woman says. "It depends on her condition, along with some other things." She looks at me. "You never answered me."

"What if I don't agree." I challenge. She furrows her eyebrows.

"Then there will be trouble." She growls.

"She won't say anything." Zac says. I glare at him. "Lyla it's not worth it." he tells me. The woman nods, apparently satisfied.

"Where are you taking the mermaid?" David asks.

"Back to the marine lab." She answers.

"Will we be allowed to visit? See for ourselves?" I ask.

"If you can keep this a secret, then feel free to come by anytime you like. But I'll have to ask you to clear out for now."

"All right, come on bro I'll give you a ride to the café. You too Zac." Joe says.

"Thanks." Zac says. He turns to me. "Coming Lyla?"

"No thanks, I'm just gonna go home." I say. I watch the boys get in the boat and drive away I turn and walk off behind Zac's house. Once I'm out of sight, I poke my head around the side and watch. The woman rolls out a long piece of white fabric. Then they both haul an unconscious Nixie out of the water and onto the fabric. Grabbing both ends of the fabric the lift it up, so all I can see are the tips of Nixie's fin. The load her into the large vehicle and close the doors. They talk amongst themselves, but I can't hear what they are saying.

"Lyla1" Sirena calls quietly. I spin around so fast, I almost fall over. Sirena and Rita are walking towards me. I put a finger to my lips and motion for them to come over here. I turn back to the docks, and heartbeats later Rita and Sirena reach me.

"What's going on Lyla?" Rita asks.

"They have Nixie." I reply, my voice catching in my throat. I watch the two divers get into the vehicle.

"What? Who has her." Rita demands, as the engine starts and the van starts to move. I point to the departing van.

"Them."


	2. Chapter 2

Nixie's Pov. I open my eyes and groan softly. Everything feels numb and sore. My skin feels wet and sticky and my stomach is cold. I look around. I'm in a small dimly lit room with white walls and blue tiled floors. I'm lying on my stomach on a cold metal table, and my end of my tail is dangling limply off the edge. I know I should be panicking, but my mind feels fuzzy and I can't get any of my limbs to move. I hear voices on the other side of the wall and a moment later the door swings open and the woman from earlier walks in and turns on the light. I close my eyes to block out the harsh brightness. I feel a hand press against my shoulder blade.

"We need to spray her again, I don't want her drying out." The woman says

"Right." Another voice confirms. A heartbeat or two later, I'm doused in cold water. My eyes snap open in shock and I snort water out of my nose. A shiver runs through me and goosebumbs form on my arms.

"Oh, look who's finally awake?" the woman says. I don't reply, I'm still in shock. I really hate cold water. "You can go now Erin, I'm fine here."

"Sure thing Dr. Taylor." Another voice says, and the door closes. I watch out of the corner of my eyes as the woman, Dr. Taylor pulls a chair over to the table I'm on, and sits down. She stares at me, as if I might be a figment of her imagination. I hope that she's just a figment of mine, but somehow I doubt it.

"When I was younger, I used to dream about fairies, unicorns, and well mermaids, but I never thought I'd come face to face with one. All the legends, they're true then? They must be since your right in front of me. And here I am rambling. Not that it matters. You probably can't understand a single thing I'm saying can you?" she babbles. I stare at her. Just goes to show how stupid land dwellers can be. I choose to ignore her though. She runs a hand down my spine, making me shudder. She hesitates before running her hand down my tail too." I move my tail away from her hand. She looks at me like how a mother might look at a disobedient child.

"Now stay still, I won't hurt you." She coos gently, fiddling with the corner of my fin, making it feel weird and numb. She pulls out a pad of paper and jots something down. I bring my ages up by my head and cross them before resting my chin on my forearm. My body feels exhausted, I expended to much energy earlier and I haven't had a chance to recover yet. My eyelids start to droop and I can feel myself started to drift off. I try to will myself to stay awake but my mind refuses to cooperate. The battle is short lived, though because I find myself once again doused in freezing water. I gasp and jerk my head up. I glare at Dr. Taylor, shivering all the while. She notices my shaking and a concerned look crosses her face.

"This isn't working. We need to get you moved into a proper tank." She states. I open my mouth to object, but she's already hurrying out of the room. I sigh and return my chin to my forearm. Within seconds my eyes are closed and I'm drifting off again.

The next thing I know there are voices surrounding me. I don't bother opening my eyes. It would take too much effort.

"See, Diana? She won't stay awake. I think her body is shutting down due to lack of proper water." Dr. Taylor says her voice irritatingly loud.

"Could it be a side effect from the tranquilizer?" a new female voice suggests.

"No. she should have recovered from that by now." Dr. Taylor claims. I wish she would shut up and let me sleep, and then maybe I could get out of here.

"We don't know much about her makeup maybe the effects are exaggerated, that or it just affects her in a negative way. Either way we should avoid sedating her again until we know more. In the meantime, I agree that she should be in water."

"Alright, let's get the stretcher."

Diana's POV.

We quickly load the mermaid onto a white dolphin stretcher. Carl and Erin come in and help us transport her to the large tank we'd spent all morning preparing for her. It is made a thick soundproof glass, to that noise can't penetrate and stress the poor creature out. We also have a glass covering about two feet above the water level. This is an added precaution, since one of our dolphins once tried to jump over the glass, which would have killed him. We set the stretcher down on the tiled floor beside the tank and slide the mermaid off into the water, before having hitting the controls to have the lid close. Once the covering is securely in place, Janice and I head downstairs to the tanks observation deck…

**Hi, so yeah here's chapter two, I hope you like it. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, and followers, i'm so glad you like this story and i really appreciate the support. Chapter three will be up as soon as possible, so let me know what you think. Please? :)**

**-Mermaid**


	3. Chapter 3

Nixie's POV

I'm vaguely aware of being moved, but it isn't until I'm actually in water that I start to truly wake up. I open my eyes and survey my surroundings. The water is salty and warm, but it feels off somehow, unnatural. I reach straight out in front of me and my fingers are met with thick glass. A purple wall is behind it I'm in a tank of some kind. I spin in a slow circle. The area is rather large, and empty, and each side has the same plain walling behind it. Flicking my tail, I break the surface. There's a deck on the other side of the glass. Maybe if I get enough speed I can jump over it, dry off, and make a break for the exit. I swim down a bit, before flipping upright and heading for the surface. As I break it and my body leave the water, I realize I didn't jump high enough, I tilt back towards the water, raising my tail higher. As I do so, my fin smacks painfully against something above me. More glass. Until I can use my powers again, I'm trapped. Defeated, I sink down towards the bottom. As I near the bottom, the wall stops, revealing a window. Two women are behind the glass, staring at me. I pull upright, treading water as I observe them. I recognize the one as, Dr. Taylor I believe it was, her long brown hair is now tied back. She's wearing a large white coat and her arms are crossed. Her face has a mixture of curiosity, awe, and sternness. I don't know the other woman, but she has soft chestnut hair, and large blue eyes that shine with excitement. She's wearing the same large coat, but her arms lay comfortably at her sides. I narrow my eyes. They're the ones keeping me here, but why? Mermaids exist. They figured it out, take a picture, give themselves a pat on the back, whatever. Just let me go. I dart down to a corner, out of their sight and lie down, my stomach pressing against rough fake sand. Closing my eyes, I can't help but wonder what Sirena and Lyla are doing. Hopefully nobody figured out their connection to me. I hope they are okay.

Diana's Pov

It's a few minutes before we see our newest addition, but eventually she notices us. I watch curiously as she observes us, almost the same way we're observing her. Except she looks nervous, scared, and upset even. In her eyes we aren't her saviors, helpers, or friends. We're her captors and that worries her. Understanding a creature is the first step to developing trust, which I intend to do. Though it may not be easy. She watches us for a moment longer before darting down out of our sight.

"She's going to be a stubborn one." Janice comments.

"Maybe…" I say, lost in thought. Janice looks at me.

"Look I know your fond of making friends, but let's focus on the science this time. We may never get another chance like this." She states. I turn to face her.

"Janice, its what I do alright, you do your thing, I'll do mine, I'm not against science, I'm a scientist after all. I just have a different approach." I tell her.

"Look just be careful alright, you are my friend. Not every animal is tamable, I don't want you to get hurt. Physically or emotionally."

"Don't worry." I reassure her. "I can handle it."

"Alright then. Lets get some equipment. I want to start taking some samples."

"Already?" I ask surprised.

"We'll take a blood sample. Test for disease, start looking into her biological make up." Janice explains. She looks me in the eye. "I'm going to need your help."

"Alright, let's go." I agree…

About twenty minutes later, we position ourselves by the mermaid's pool.

"We are going to have to coax her into coming over here" Janice says. "Any ideas?" I shake my head.

"Try raising the lid, maybe she'll get curious." I offer. Janice nods. She signals to Erin, and the intern messes with the controls. A moment later the lid rises. Just as I thought, a brown-haired head appears just below the surface.

"She's never going to let you get that needle anywhere near her, you know that right?" I inform Janice. She nods.

"We'll do what we did with Apollo." Janice says. Apollo was a young orca that came in two years ago. He had server damage to his flukes, but I was terrified of needles, so we were forced to secure his fin out of the water using a catch pole. I don't fully agree with it, but Janice is set. Meanwhile our change decides that we aren't trustworthy. She snorts, causing bubbles to rise and flips backwards, grazing the surface, and attempts to swim off.

"Oh no you don't." Janice says. She dips the end of the catch pole into the water and barely manages to loop in around the mermaid's tail. It pulls tight, stopping her. She flails in an attempt to free herself. Janice grunts and slides forward. Erin rushes up and grabs the end of the pole, helping Janice. The mermaid's fin leaves the water, holding her in place, though she continues to twist in vain.

"Diana, get the sample. Quickly please." Janice says her voice straining. I kneel down and place a hand on the mermaid, right where her scales fade to skin. She twists as I try to insert the needle.

"This isn't working." I say. "I'm getting in."

"What? Diana don't" Janice says. I ignore her and slip into the water.

"Ok well hurry, the fin is slipping." She warns. I place return my hand to the mermaid's skin, and immediately she grasps my wrist and attempts to wrench my hand away. I quickly press the needle into her side, drawing out the blood sample. Once I finish I toss the needle to Erin, who catches it in his hand. At the same second the loop of the catch pole breaks. The mermaid, still gripping my wrist, dives, pulling me under with her. I barely have time to fill my lungs with air before going under.

"Diana!" Janice screams. I struggle as I get dragged deeper under the water. The mermaid stops, spinning around to face me. Her brown hair floating out freely behind her. The base of her fin is bleeding where the wire dug in. She meets my gaze, her eyes wide and full of pain, sadness, and fear. If she wasn't underwater, I swear her eyes would be brimming with tears. It's at this point that I realize how truly young she must be. She look about as old as a normal girl in her teens. As I hold her gaze I see the intelligence that lurks beneath the fear in her eyes. My lungs burn and I choke. Her eyes widen with realization. She grabs my arm and rushes to the surface. I cough as my head breaks the surface. the speed causes the mermaid to leave the water. Janice hits her away from me with the butt of the pole, while Erin grabs my arms and hauls me out of the tank. I spit out water.

"Was that really necessary?" I gasp.

"Considering she tried to pull you back under? Yes." Janice replies. I shake my head.

"She didn't, she brought me up." I say.

"She tried to drown you." Janice exclaims. I look at her and shake my head again.

"She's still really young, I don't think she realized what she was doing, she was scared." I explain.

"It doesn't matter. Don't get back in the water alright?" Janice demands.

"Let's just go, enough testing for today." I say, getting shakily to my feet. Janice nods.

"Alright, let's get you into dry clothing. Erin close everything up, up here ok?" Janice states. Erin nods. As we walk down the hall, I know that I'll be going back tonight…


	4. Chapter 4

Nixie POV

I sit down on the bottom of the tank and rub my sore tail. It stopped bleeding almost as soon as it started, but it still hurts. I rest my chin on my hands. I have to get out of here, but I still feel so drained. I think it has to do with the fact that I'm not in the ocean. It's always made me feel better before, but now that I'm away from it, I can't regain my energy. With I sigh I push off the bottom and head to the surface. Looking around I see that the deck is still empty. Everyone left after they pulled that woman from the water. I still feel bad about dragging her under. I didn't mean to, I just forgot I had hold of her. I lightly touch my bruised shoulder where the other woman hit me with the white stick thing. Sinking back beneath the water I close my eyes and try to pretend that millions of reef fish are darting through the coral that surrounds me. But when I open my eyes, all I see is the same plain purple walls and empty water.

'It's really easy to get lonely in here' I think to myself. I drift in front of the window and find the same woman from before. She's watching me intently, with her eyebrows furrowed, as if I was a puzzle she couldn't quite solve. I swim up to the glass, wondering how she'll react. She meets my gaze and smiles. I stare back at her; I don't quite understand land people. One minute they seem like your worst enemy, and then suddenly they're trying to be your best friend. The woman walks off down the hall. A few minutes later, there's the same humming noise I heard earlier. This time I decide not to go to the surface though. Instead I return to a small corner of the tank and lie down, my hair billowing out around me. My stomach growls and I mentally curse it. it's been at least 12 hours since I've last eaten, but I'm not totally sure, it's really easy to lose track of time, when you can't see the sun or moon. Above me there's a small splash. I look up and see something floating in the water. It's round with a hole in the middle, and it's a bright purple color. Pushing off the floor I swim up. I know I shouldn't, that it's probably a trick, but it's not like they are going to give up. I pop up behind the floating ring, out of sight, and observe. The woman from before is sitting on her knees at the side of the deck, looking out over the water. I struggle to resist the urge to splash her. But it's in my nature and the urge wins over. I flick my tailfin out of the water, sending droplets of water flying over the ring and showering down on my unsuspecting victim. She gasps in surprise, her hair, now sopping wet and clinging to her face. I laugh and dive, lurking just beneath the deck. I watch as she scans the water, looking for me.

"That wasn't very nice." She says.

'Neither was you stabbing me with that pointy thing' I think to myself.

"C'mon up." she says. "Please"

'Well since you asked nicely…' I shoot towards the surface. My torso leaves the water, and I twist, landing with a splash, and once again soaking the poor woman in front of me. She wipes a lock of wet hair from her face.

"Will you stop that?" She exclaims, and I can't help but laugh. She glares at me, so I return the stare. "I should call you Kako, it's the Greek word for mischief." I snort.

"Or you could call me by my name." I mutter. Shock fills her eyes, before dimming into acceptance.

"Well you'd have to tell me what it is." She points out.

"Nixie." I say. "So what's yours?"

"Diana." She replies. "So, Nixie, where'd you learn to speak English?" I shrug.

"What's your native tongue?"

"My what?"

"Is there like a special mermaid language?" she asks.

"There used to be, but it's been dead for a thousand years." I say.

"Oh. So can I ask you something?"

"You've been asking me questions since you got here." I point out.

"Was there a reason for drenching me?" she asks. I stare at, then abruptly burst out laughing. "Ok. Shh you're going to get me in trouble; I'm not technically supposed to be here."

"Why?" I gasp.

"Well you did almost drown me today." She states. I frown.

"I didn't mean to. And it's sort of your fault to you know." I say. "But I-I I'm sorry. There I said it okay."

"It's alright, I understand what happened, I don't blame you. But Janice does."

"Yeah I know, I've got the bruise to prove it." I say, rubbing my shoulder where the other woman hit me with that cursed stick.

"She thought you were trying to drag me back under."

"Why am I here?" I ask.

"Well you were in trouble, we rescue marine animals. It's part of our job."

"I'm fine though, why keep me here."

"It complicated. You wouldn't understand." She says, avoiding my question.

"I'm not stupid." I inform her.

"I know, its… fine. Your kind has never been seen before. Up until yesterday you were a myth." She tries to explain.

"So I'm caged because I'm different?" A horror-stricken look crosses Diana's face and tears well up in her eyes.

"I have to go." She claims, her voice cracking. She stands up, hits a button that closes the tank lid, and runs off, leaving me floating in the water, wondering.

**Hey so this is chapter four. I hope you like the story so far. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please please please review or pm me. I always love to know how I'm doing. **

**-mermaid**


	5. Chapter 5

Diana's POV

I run through the hallways, fighting not to cry. Nixie's words replay over and over again in my mind.

"_So I'm caged because I'm different?" _To be honest this isn't the first time I've heard someone say that. Another person said close to the same thing to me, six years ago, and I will never be able to forget her words.

"_I feel trapped, they change who I am. I feel like I'm in a cage. I know it's just because I'm different." _I hold back a sob. That voice will haunt me the rest of my life. Meggie. I'm so lost in thought that I'm not watching where I'm going. I run into Janice, making her drop a stack of papers.

"Diana? Are you alright?" she asks, helping me to my feet. "You're soaked. It was that creature again wasn't it? It tried to pull you under again. What were you doing up there anyways?"

"She didn't try to drown me Janice. She was being playful and splashed me." I say. Janice looks me in the eye.

"Have you been crying? Diana what happened?" She demands, worriedly.

"Nothing, i-I was just thinking of Megan, that's all." I mutter. She gives me a sympathetic look.

"That's what it's about isn't it? Look, Diana, it wasn't your fault. If helping creatures is what you feel you need to do, I support you on that. I want the same thing, but you can't put yourself in danger to do so." Janice explain

"It's not that, well it is, but…. She reminds me of Meggie." I try to explain. "And I wasn't in danger. I told you, she didn't try to drown me. I promise you that I was only splashed."

"The mermaid? How?"

"First of all her name is Nixie." I state.

"Nixie" Janice questions. "Okay if that's what you want to call her. How does she remind you of Megan?"

"She's young, playful, fiery. And just like Megan, she's different, misunderstood. All she wants is to be free. Megan felt caged, by everything around her, but it never got her down. She was cheerful and friendly, and she fought to be who she was. I see the same thing in Nixie."

"She can't replace Megan, Diana. You know that right?" I nod. Janice bends down to pick up her papers. "but I'll make a deal with you. No more midnight swims…" she says, gesturing to my soaked clothing. "And you can be her caretaker, as long as it doesn't interfere to much with our work."

"Deal." I say.

Rita's POV

I'm sitting in the grotto with Lyla and Sirena, pondering our next move. I was shocked when I was informed of what happened, but now we need to focus on saving Nixie.

"What do we do?" Sirena asks fearfully.

"We rescue her." Lyla states..

"But how?"

"We'll think of something." Lyla says.

"Rita?" Sirena calls. I look up.

"I honestly don't know how. This is so unexpected, but I promise you that we'll get her out of there. We just need to be cautious." I say.

"We could break in." Lyla suggests.

"That would be tricky, they'll have security." I say.

"Could we swim in?" Sirena offers. I shake my head.

"That's way too risky. We need to keep the fact that we are mermaids a secret. We're no use to Nixie if we are discovered." I explain. "The good news is, is that the grade 10 biology class is taking a trip there on Friday. I'm going to go as well. If I can find out where Nixie is, we can put a plan into action."

"We're coming to." Lyla says.

"Not a chance. There will be way too much water. You need to stay here." I say.

"But Friday is in three days!" Sirena exclaims. "Who knows what they might do to her by then?"

"We could go early; they did say that we could go see her, as long as we didn't tell anyone." Lyla suggests.

"You would have to go alone. They won't take kindly to the fact that you told Sirena and I. and I don't want you to take that risk unless it's absolutely necessary." I say. "I'll go on Friday, if all goes well we can have her out of there within a day afterwards. but whatever we do, we have to do it under the cover of darkness."

**Sorry this chapter is so short, the next one will be longer. You guys are probably wondering who Megan is, but don't worry you will find out, just not right now. Anyways, as always I appreciate reviews. Thank you to all of you how did review, follow, and/or favorite, you all are wonderful. I forgot to do this before, so I'll do it now. Mako Mermaids is not mine (Though I wish with all my heart) so all credit goes to the producers.**


	6. Chapter 6

Diana's POV

I leave my room above the facility and walk downstairs. Janice is waiting for me.

"So what's on the agenda today?" I ask.

"Well I thought we could do some more tests with our new friend, Nixie was it? Anyways we are going to need to find out what she eats. A few stomach x-rays should reveal everything." Janice says.

"Wouldn't it be much simpler just to ask her?" I suggest. Janice scoffs.

"Yeah alright. Diana it's possible that she holds similar intelligence to us, but it's highly illogical to think she knows English." I smirk.

"Come on." I say, leading her to the tank.

Janice opens the lid as I crouch down on the edge of the deck. Janice walks over.

"We forgot the equipment, we should go get it." Janice says. I shake my head.

"You won't need it" I tell her. I can see Nixie curled up at the bottom of the tank. She looks asleep.

"So how do we get her to the top?" Janice asks, looking into the water.

"Not sure, she's probably asleep" I reply. "Try playing some music. Most aquatic creatures have excellent hearing, it might wake her up." Janice shrugs and walks over to an old cd player. She turns it on and it starts playing 'I let go' by Kate Alexa. After a few minutes I see Nixie stir. She slowly drifts up to the surface. She looks as though she's been sedated.

"Are you even awake?" I ask her. She just glares at me and rubs her eyes.

"So why'd you name her Nixie?" Janice asks me.

"I didn't name her anything." I reply.

"Diana didn't you say her name was Nixie?" I nod. "Then why do you call her that?"

"Because it's my name." Nixie comments groggily. Janice looks up startled. "You know I may live in the ocean, but that doesn't mean I get up at dawn." She continues, yawning.

"Sorry." I apologize.

"Where on earth did you learn English?" Janice asks, shell-shocked.

"Same place I learnt to swim… what do you want." I stand up and fill an small cup with cold water before walking over and splashing Nixie with it. she gasps.

"Ok I'm awake." She exclaims, shivering.

"Good. Now I reckon you want to eat right?" I say, setting the cup down.

"That sounds like a pretty good idea." She mutters.

"Good, then you can answer some questions." Janice claims. I elbow her.

"Nixie what do you normally eat?" I ask. She shrugs.

"Fish, lobster, seaweed, prawns, clams…"

"Why don't you go find Erin, Janice?" I suggest.

"Yeah good idea." She replies slowly, getting to her feet and walking away.

"What's with her?" Nixie asks.

"She's just excited. Remember a few days ago you didn't exist as far as she was concerned." I explain.

"Wonderful…" Nixie grumbles. "Can I go back to bed now?" I laugh.

"No you may not." I state. Nixie glares at me, before splashing me in the face. "You're quite fond of doing that, aren't you?"

"Maybe." She smirks deviously. I shake my head. Footsteps echo in the hallway, as Janice walks in with Erin. Erin is carrying a box of prawns.

"Just set those down over on the table, Erin." Janice orders. Erin nods and walks over to the far side of the room.

"Alright, here's the deal, we have some tests to do…" Janice begins.

"Pass, I'm not very good at tests, never was." Nixie objects.

"You don't have to take a test, you just have to be compliant, while we do the tests."

"I don't think I like that idea." Nixie says.

"Well, go through with the tests, and you can have the prawns over there." Janice states.

"That seems a little like black um what do you call it again?"

"Blackmail." I offer.

"Yes, like that." Nixie agrees.

"That's the deal, you don't have to like it, you just have to accept it." Janice claims.

"What if I don't?" Nixie challenges.

"Then we do it the hard way, like yesterday." Janice says. Nixie shudders.

"Good. Now Erin, help us get her out of the water." Erin grabs one of Nixie's arms, Janice grabs the other and I helped slide her tail onto the deck. We set her on her stomach on the floor.

"I don't really like this." Nixie mumbles fearfully.

"Don't worry, we'll be gentle." Janice promises. Nixie snorts.

"Yeah sure. You seem about as gentle as a bull shark." She states sarcastically. I laugh, and Erin stifles a giggle. Janice ignores him and pulls out a measuring tape from her back pocket. She kneels down and begins measuring the length and width of Nixie's tail and fin. Nixie twists around trying to see what she's doing.

"Nixie try to stay still." I encourage. She doesn't reply. Janice jots some notes down on her notepad, and puts the measuring tape aside.

"Alright. Diana, help me roll her over." Janice says. I place a hand on Nixie's shoulder. She jerks away, and shifts onto her back.

"I'm not completely useless, you know." She comments. Janice observes her tail.

"How does it move?" she asks Nixie.

"What do you mean?" Nixie questions.

"Well how does it bend?" Janice supplies. Slowly Nixie flexes her tail at the base of her fin, bending the fin up and down.

"Can you move it anywhere else?" Janice inquires. Nixie nods.

"Yeah but it's easier in the water. That's kind of the whole point of the tail." She states.

"Well then, I guess you'll have to show us after." Janice says.

"After what?" Nixie asks.

"An x-ray." Janice replies standing up. "Erin, could you give me a hand with the equipment, please?"

"Sure thing Dr. Taylor.' Erin exclaims, rising to his feet. They walk out of the room. Nixie turns to me.

"What's an x-ray." She questions, a scared look in her eyes.

"It okay, it won't hurt. An x-ray shows things inside other things. If you were to take an x-ray of your hand for example, you would be able to see all the bones in your hand." I explain. Nixie's eyes widen.

"It sounds bad." She states. I shake my head.

"I promise it isn't. It's just hard to explain. You'll see." I reply. A few moments later, Janice and Erin walk in, pushing the x-ray table into the room. I stand up.

"Here I'll show you what I mean." I tell Nixie. "Janice, is that thing hooked up."

"Yup all ready to go." She replies.

"Would you mind taking an x-ray of my arm?"

"Sure, why?" Janice asks.

"Because." I say

"Alright, come on over." I walk over and lay my arm out flat on the table. Erin moves the small box over top of my arm. There's a flash and the picture is printed. I grab it and crouch down beside Nixie.

"This is what an x-ray looks like" I say, handing her the picture. "And my arm is fine." I hold it up for confirmation.

"That would almost be cool, if it wasn't so creepy." Nixie comments, staring at the photo.

"It is cool." I reply. "And now it's your turn." Together, Erin and I hoist Nixie up and lay her on the table. Janice moves the camera box into place. The machine flashes as Janice takes several pictures of Nixie's tail.

"Ok let's switch modes to muscle and tissue; I want to get some pictures of her organ placement." Janice calls after a few minutes. Erin fiddles with the controls. I honestly don't know how he does it; I'm completely hopeless with machinery. Janice repositions the camera above Nixie's stomach, and takes more pictures. After a few minutes, I notice that Nixie's hair is mostly dry. In fact she's starting to dry off entirely.

"Janice, we should stop now. There's plenty of photos and we need to get Nixie back onto the water soon." I say. Janice nods.

"Alright, me and Erin will run the machine back down the hall, then we'll help you get her into the water. Can you do a once over while we're gone?"

"No problem." I reply. We move Nixie onto the floor. Erin and Janice wheel the x-ray machine out of the room. I crouch down and press two fingers to the side of Nixie's throat.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Taking your pulse." I answer. I run my hand down her tail. "Jeez your much dryer than I originally thought. I may have to help you back into the pool by myself." I say standing up.

"How long will the others be?" Nixie questions.

"A few minutes at least." I tell her.

"Diana? Promise not to tell?" She ask frantically.

"Tell what I say." But I don't get an answer, instead Nixie shimmers like water. When it fades, I notice that her scale-like top has been replaced with a dark blue t-shirt and instead of her tail, her lower half is now two perfectly normal legs, clade in a pair of jeans.

"How?" I ask.

"Its hard to explain. Please Diana, don't tell the others, you're not supposed to know." She begs.

"Alright, but we are having a major discussion later. How do we get you back to normal?" Nixie doesn't answer; instead she jumps off the deck into the water. a moment later she surfaces, her tail drifting behind her.

"Oh" I mumble pathetically. I spin around as Janice walks back in.

"You managed to get her back in by yourself?" Janice inquires.

"Yeah, she was drying out." I say. Janice nods. She grabs the box of prawns, opens it and slide the box over to Nixie.

"Don't make yourself sick." She warns. Nixie nods.

"Well, I've got o get going, the sea otters need feeding. Are you staying here, Diana." Janice asks. I nod my head as she leaves. All I can do is stare at Nixie in astonishment, and think about what I saw…

**Ok so here's chapter six. Sorry about the vague description of the x-ray machine, I couldn't find out the names of the different parts. I hope you liked it. as always comments are appreciated.**

**-mermaid**


	7. Chapter 7

Sirena's POV

I feel so useless just sitting here. One of my best friends, no technically sisters, is in danger and I'm doing nothing about it. I know what Rita told us, and I normally would never think of disobeying her, but… I can't help but think she's wrong this time. I look around the grotto. Other than Poseidon, I'm alone. Rita's at the school, for a meeting or something, and Lyla went swimming. She's said she needed to clear her head, and then she's going to keep an eye on Zac. Rising to my feet, I leave the house. I head to the café. When I walk in, David walks up to me.

"Hey Sirena. Do you want something to eat?" he asks. "We have a new special, Clam Chowder Soup."

"Sure, David. Thanks." I answer. I sit down at one of the tables and stare out at the ocean. A few minutes later, David sets a bowl in front of me. Steam wafts up from it and I have to admit, it smells really good. I smile at David, and he sits down across from me.

"So I hear you're going to the marine lab tomorrow." I comment. David nods.

"Yeah for a school trip." He replies. "Any chance you're going to?" I shrug.

"I want to, but Auntie Rita says I shouldn't skip school. I'm still trying to convince her to let me come." I say. I tentatively take a spoonful of the soup, making sure not to drip the hot liquid on myself.

"Well I hope you can." David states. I smile.

"This is really good." I inform him, taking another bite.

"Glad you like it." David says cheerfully.

"Sirena!" I turn at the sound of my name. Lyla is standing in the doorway to the café, beckoning me to come over. I turn back to David.

"I think I have to go now." I tell him.

"Oh, alright then." He says, sounding disappointed.

"I'm really sorry." I apologize. I place some money on the table, before going out to meet Lyla

"What is it?" I ask.

"Rita will be home soon, I don't care what she says, we're going with her." Lyla declares.

"But how are we going to do that? You know what she said." I tell her.

"Just come on" she says. I sigh, but follow her back to the house.

Rita is already inside when we walk in.

"Hey girls. Everything is set for the trip tomorrow. What do you two plan to do while I'm gone?" Lyla crosses her arms.

"We're coming with you." She states. Rita sighs.

"Lyla you know you can't" she reminds us.

"Please Rita, we want to help, Nixie's our best friend." I beg.

"Sirena, what if you get found out? You won't be able to help Nixie then." Rita says.

"We won't, we'll be careful. Rita please." I promise, my voice cracks. Rita sighs.

"What would I even tell the students? They know you don't go to the school." Rita asks.

"Tell them it's for school. You could say I'm doing research and Sirena's helping." Lyla suggests.

"Alright, you can come." Rita caves. "But you have to promise to listen to me, no matter what you think. Deal?"

"Yes." I cry "Thank you Rita." I hug her.

"You girls best stay here tonight. We leave early tomorrow morning. I have a spare bedroom upstairs. Let's get you both settled for the night." Rita says. Lyla nods and we both follow her upstairs.

Nixie's POV.

I stare at the box of prawns. For once I no longer have an appetite. All I can do is worry. That was the only secret keeping Lyla, Sirena, and Rita from being discovered, and I just blew it. the door shuts loudly as Dr. Taylor leaves. The second she's gone, Diana spins around and stares at me, I look down at the white tiling on the floor.

"Explain." Diana demands.

"What is there to explain?" I ask.

"Everything. How does that happen? Why does it happen? What triggers it? Everything Nixie." She exclaims.

"I don't know how or why it happens, it just does. It only occurs when I'm dry, but its really hard to explain." I mumble.

"So when you're wet you have a tail and when you're dry you have legs? How much water does it take to return you to your original form? Or is this even your original form."

"More or less, just one drop, and yes, I was born with a tail and I intend to die with a tail." I state

"One drop? Wow that's inconvenient. Alright I have one last question for you. Why was it such a big deal? I mean what's wrong with Janice knowing?"

"Because it's dangerous." I exclaim. Diana raises her eyebrows questioningly.

"How?" She asks.

"Mermaids have died from drying out. Not all of us can do that." I say.

"Oh… Wait hang on. So you're not the only one. There are more of you?" She demands.

"My pod is gone." I state. "And I've never met others." Not a complete lie. My pod really did leave and Rita used to be part of it too, I think. Diana lowers her eyes.

"Oh, um I'm sorry." She apologizes. "It can stay secret." I nod. "Can I at least see how it works?" I hesitate. I really should be trying to keep my powers a secret, not that I can use most of them anyways. Diana notices my hesitation. "It's not draining on you is it?"

"I'm not sure." I admit honestly. "Its never been something I've had to worry about."

"Well don't worry about it. I do have to go anyways." She says, standing up and leaving the room. The moment she's gone, I pull myself out of the water and wait.

Ten minutes later, I'm dry. I stand up at run to the door. I try to pull it open, but its locked.

"Great." I mutter. If only I could actually use my powers. I could unlock the door and be home free. With a sigh, I begrudgingly head back to the water and slip in.

Diana's POV

I walk down the hall; I'm supposed to meet Janice in the lunchroom for one o'clock. I glance at my watch, its twelve fifty five. I walk into the lunchroom. Janice is sitting at the table with a coffee and a banana nut muffin.

"Hey." Janice greets.

"Hi." I reply. "How are the sea otters doing today?"

"Much better. They're recovering well. Ossie's fever has broken and Nayla is up and about. I say another week and they'll be able to go home." Janice answers happily. The two sea otters had been brought in about two weeks ago after getting caught in an oil slick on the opposite coast. Ossie was really sick, and Nayla was injured.

"That's great." I say. "So what's on the agenda for the rest of today, and tomorrow while we're talking about it?"

"Well tomorrow the high school children are coming remember?"

"Oh yeah I forgot. That should be interesting." I comment. Janice nods.

"And today Sarah is going to take a look at Nixie." Janice informs me. Sarah is our well-renowned sea vet.

"That's good. When are we doing that?" I ask.

"You and Sarah will go in about twenty minutes. I have some paperwork to sort out for tomorrow." Janice states.

"Hey what are those kids going to be doing tomorrow anyways?"

"Just see the different wildlife, learn about the program. The usual." Janice replies.

"Do you plan on letting them see Nixie." I inquire.

"I plan on it, if Sarah's report goes well." Janice says.

"I have a feeling Nixie won't be too thrilled with that." I state.

"No probably not, but she could generate a lot of funds for the center. It will benefit our research, and help with the wildlife protection program. I think I'm going to go through with it." Janice admits. "Now go meet Sarah, I have that paperwork to do." I nod and head out the door. I find Sarah in the main lobby.

"Hey Diana." She greets cheerfully.

"Hey Sarah how are you?"

"Great. So who's my patient?" She replies.

"They didn't tell you?" I ask puzzled.

"No they did, I meant a name. Gosh isn't that amazing. I never once thought it was a possibility. What's it like?" she gushes. I motion for her to follow me. I answer her as we walk down the hall.

"Her name is Nixie. I didn't really think they could exist either. And she's sweet. Young, and insanely stubborn, but sweet." I unlock the door to Nixie's pool and we walk inside. Sarah sets her equipment bag on the floor and walks over to the edge of the pool. Remembering my first alone encounter with Nixie I decide to warn her.

"Sarah don't stand so close." I warn.

"Why?" she asks. At the same moment Nixie breaks the surface in an eruption of water droplets. She dives back down, smacking her tail against the water, so a large amount of H2O flies at Sarah, drenching her hair and clothes.

"That's why" I reply with a laugh. Nixie's head pops up from under the water. she laughs.

"That wasn't funny." Sarah exclaims glaring form me to Nixie. The young mermaid shrugs.

"I thought it was pretty funny." She comments.

"Nixie, you can't keep doing that to people." I tell her.

"Well it's not like there's much else to do in this stupid tank. It's just a joke. If I don't do something I'll go nuts." She exclaims.

"You sure you're not already crazy?" I ask. She gives me a sour look. "Besides, you've got us, you can't be all that bored."

"Oh yeah great. Every time one of you comes in here, I end up a science experiment." She mutters.

"Okay well, let's not forget why we're here. Diana let's get started." Sarah suggests.

"Get started on what? Who are you anyways?" Nixie asks.

"Right, Nixie this is Sarah. She's a doctor. She's just going to take a look at you." I explain.

"Yeah no see, I'm not sick, so I'm going to pass." Nixie says.

"Sorry Nixie, not an option, out." I state. Nixie glares at me before hauling herself out of the water.

"Do I have to do this?" Nixie asks uncertainly.

"Yes. It's for your own good." Sarah replies.

"Well, shouldn't we do this in the water?" she suggests hopefully. Sarah shakes her head.

"It will be much easier and faster out here." She explains.

"You'll be fine. Just do what Sarah tells you too." I reassure her.

"Can you lie on your back please?" Sarah says. I half expect Nixie to refuse, but she complies. I hope Nixie's spirit isn't breaking. If she gives up, there'll be no chance of her getting back to the ocean. Sarah pulls on a pair of medical gloves. She takes a thermometer out of her bag.

"Here, put this in your mouth." She tells Nixie.

"It doesn't look very edible." Nixie states. "And I'm not really all that hungry." Sarah laughs, and I stifle a few giggles.

"You don't eat it." Sarah informs her. "it's just supposed to go under your tongue. It will tell us your body temperature." Nixie take the thermometer and sticks it in her mouth.

"How long is it supposed to stay in my mouth." She asks.

"Just don't speak or it'll take longer. Relax." Sarah says. After a few moments, she takes the thermometer from Nixie.

"Well, its not the same temperature as our bodies, but her temperature is quite similar to what you'd find in a healthy dolphin or seal, so I'd say its normal." Sarah says. I nod and write notes down, knowing Janice will want a full report. Nixie shifts uncomfortably on the tiling. Sarah rolls out a thick beach blanket.

"Here lie on this. It's not the most comfortable, but at least it'll provide some cushioning between you and the floor." She says.

"Thank you." Nixie says, shifting onto it. Sarah nods. I stand ideally as she finishes her evaluation.

"Alright, we're done." She says. "Do you need help getting her back in the water?" she asks me. I shake my head.

"No you go. Janice will want your report." I say, shooing her out the door. I turn around to find Nixie slowly standing up. She must have dried off. "Come on you should get back in the water." I state, walking towards her. Nixie ignores me and bolts for the door. I catch her arm as she runs by. "Nixie it's locked." I inform her. "You can't open it." She sighs.

"Guess there no point in asking you to open it?"

"No, you know I can't" I say.

"This isn't right." She exclaims angrily. Her face a mixture of pain, anger, and longing. "I just want to go home. Is that too much to ask?"

"No. or at least it shouldn't be." I reply.

"Then why? Why keep me here? I don't even know why you brought me here in the first place." She cries.

"Because at the time you needed help. Don't try to tell me you didn't. As for why you are still here, because Janice hasn't okayed your release yet, she's in charge of that."

"Then when? When can I leave? I don't like it here anymore that you'd like being stuck on a reef with a bunch of hungry sharks." She states. Pure sadness fills her eyes and I feel really bad.

"Honestly… I don't know. Nixie you're special, more than I expect you to understand. I don't know if Janice plans to release you at all. As cruel as it sounds, your existence alone is a huge scientific discovery." I explain. Tears begin to well up in her eyes and her shoulders slump in defeat. I begin to realize how devastated she must be. Nixie doesn't strike me as someone who cries easily. She sinks to her knees.

"I just want to go back. I don't belong here." She admits.

"I know." I say sympathetically. Her eyes flash.

"No you don't. You're not locked up like a prisoner. You haven't been pulled away from your home, and stuck in a tiny box. I belong in the ocean, I'm a part of it, and now I can't even hear waves lapping at the shore. You have no idea what that's like." She shouts. And she's right, I don't know how that would feel. I wish I could comfort her, but who am I kidding. I'm one of the people keeping her here. I think I'm going to talk to Janice about this. Too much longer and Nixie might fall into a depressed state, which will make returning her to the ocean much more difficult.

"Look Nixie. There's a tour group coming around tomorrow. A bunch of kids from a nearby high school will be coming here. Janice wants to show you off to them." I tell her. She shakes her head.

"No" She refuses firmly. I sigh.

"I know you don't like the idea, but making Janice happy makes her more likely to do things for you. I know from experience. She'll be much more cooperative with releasing you if you make her happy, than if you fight her every step of the way." I inform her. Nixie doesn't reply. Instead she gets up and jumps into the water, disappearing below the water. Before she went under I thought I heard her say something. It sounded like,

"I'm not a possession, and I refuse to be put on display like one." I smirk at her stubbornness, but I can't help but worry about what that might mean. Janice had a point when she said Nixie could bring in money. The center was struggling. If we didn't find some funding soon we could go under, but using Nixie might wind up making her a permanent exhibit, which I didn't want to do. I sigh and walk out the door, with many conflicting thoughts running through my mind.

**Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I hit writers block, plus school and the swim and water polo teams have been taking up a lot of my time. I'll try to update faster from now on. Btw I'm open to suggestions. If there's something you want to happen, mention it and I'll see if I can incorporate it into the story. As always reviews are loved. Thank you to all of you who have been leaving them.**

**-mermaid**


	8. Chapter 8

Rita's POV

"Meow" I open my eyes to find Poseidon staring at me. He meows again.

"Alright Poseidon, I'm coming." I tell the hungry cat. I sit up and glance at the clock in my room. 6:35. I have an hour before I have to be at the school. I get up and quickly get dressed before hurrying downstairs. I place a bowl of prawns in front of Poseidon. Then I remember the girls. They slipped my mind. They don't normally spend the night here, but id better go wake them up. I run upstairs to the spare room. I open the door to find Lyla passed out on the floor, with a blanket coiled around her. Sirena is asleep on the bed, with her legs stretched out and together.

Lyka, Sirena, wake up you two." I call softly. Lyla groans and slowly opens her eyes.

"Huh?" she mumbles.

"Get up we have to go." I state. Sirena sits up and rubs her eyes.

"Okay we're coming." She replies. I close the door and head downstairs. I fix the three of use tuna sandwiches. I take a bite of one of them just as Lyla and Sirena come downstairs. I hand them each a sandwich. They both mumble their thanks, and proceed to eat.

"Okay so here's the story for today. Lyla, you're coming because you have a school project on marine life. Sirena you're there to help her take notes, and Nixie has the flu and is at home in bed. Alright?" I explain. Both girls nod. "Good then let's get going." I say. The girls each pull on a pair of sneakers and we head out the door…

Sirena's POV.

When we arrive at Sun Coast High, there's a large amount of teenagers waiting around outside. Rita heads towards the front of the group, and Lyla follows her. I'm about to go too, when I see David. He's broken away from the group and is heading towards me.

"Hi Sirena. What are you doing here? I didn't think you were coming." David says when he reaches me.

"Oh well, I'm helping Lyla, she's got to do a project on marine life. I'm just tagging along." I explain.

"Oh cool. So hey did you want to sit with me on the bus?" David offers. My mind reels. I have no idea what a bus is.

"Umm sure." I agree. "As long as Lyla doesn't mind."

"Great." David exclaims. I smile.

"Alright we are getting ready to leave, everyone on the bus." Rita calls.

"Guess we'd better go." I suggest.

"Yeah." David says. We head towards a large yellow vehicle, and climb onboard. Rita watches me intently as I sit down next to David.

'Be careful.' she mouths. I nod. Rita takes a seat next to one of the other teachers, while Lyla sits by herself. I look around the bus, Zac is sitting beside Cam, and Carly and Evie are sitting behind them. I don't recognize anyone else though. Suddenly the bus starts to move. I grip the seat in front of me with shock.

"Sirena, are you okay?" David asks. I force myself to release the seat.

"Yeah, I was just caught off guard that's all." I reply. He nods.

"So hey, I haven't seen Nixie around. Isn't she normally with you?" David inquires.

"Umm yeah Nixie hasn't been feeling well lately. She's back at the house." I say.

"Oh that too bad. Is she alright? Is it like that time you guys got that weird rash?"

"No, no, Rita thinks she has the flu, but I don't think it's too serious." I tell him. I feel bad about lying to David, but it's not like I can tell him that the three of us are mermaids, that Nixie was the one that his brother saw yesterday, or that she's been captured.

"Well you should be careful; the flu can be really contagious, you don't want to get sick too." David warns. I nod.

"Don't worry; I don't plan on being stuck in the house all day. I feel bad for Nixie, it must be awfully boring. I wouldn't be surprised if we came home to her talking to Poseidon, Rita's cat." I state.

"I guess that would be pretty funny." David admits, chuckling. "You know Sirena, I'm really glad you're coming. This trip would probably end up being pretty boring otherwise. Just don't tell principal Santos that." I blush.

"Don't worry I won't, but I'm actually pretty excited." I lie, in all honesty I'm dreading today. What if they all see Nixie? Rita, Lyla, and I could all end up in a tank with her. And then we'd be useless to try and help her escape. "Umm David, do you mind if I talk go talk to Lyla for a second?" I ask.

"No problem." David replies. I stand up and move to the seat, to rows ahead of us. I slid in net to Lyla; she has her cheek pressed up against the window. She looks up.

"Hey." She greets.

"Hi." I reply, faking a smile.

"What's wrong?" Lyla asks, frowning.

"I'm worried. What if the students see Nixie? They'd know we were mermaids too. Then we would get captured too, and we wouldn't be able to help her." I whisper.

"I've been worrying about the same thing, but I dint think they'll want to show Nixie off. I mean they'd want to keep it a secret right? At least for a while." Lyla states. I nod.

"You're probably right." I admit. I stand up and head back to my seat.

"Is everything alright?" David asks.

"Huh? Oh yeah." I reply nodding my head and trying not to vomit. The rest of the trip goes pretty smoothly, or at least I wasn't sick so that's a good thing. The bus finally pulls up to a large building. All the students stand up and start filling off the bus.

"C'mon." David says standing up. I mimic his movements and follow him off the bus. Rita is waiting beside the bus with Lyla standing beside her.

"David go join your classmates." She states. David nods.

"Alright, see you in a bit Sirena." He says, before jogging over to the large goup.

"You okay?" Rita asks me. I nod.

"I'll be okay, I'm just worried." I tell her.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine, and so will Nixie." Rita reassures me. I nod again. "Well then, I believe we have an aquarium to tour." She starts walking towards the entrance. Lyla and I follow her, followed by the mass of students and a few teachers. I take a deep breath as we walk through the doors.

'Here we go.' I think to myself, feeling rather queasy.

**Okay, sorry about the emptiness of this chapter, I didn't actually plan to end it this way, it was supposed to be longer and include Nixie's point of view, but I'm at a crossroad. There numerous things that could happen at this point and I can't decide what I want to do. I need you to tell me what you think. Should Carly, Evie, Zac, Cam, and some of the other recognize Nixie, thus exposing Lyla, Sirena, and Rita, and making the story more climactic? Should Janice decide not to let them see Nixie at all, making Rita, Lyla, and Sirena have to come back later? Or should Nixie not show her face so that she isn't recognized? Or do you have another idea? I'm open to suggestions. Please review, the next chapter depends on your decision.**

**-mermaid**


	9. Chapter 9

Janice's POV

Its currently six a.m. and I'm sitting at my desk in the back of the center. I got here early, like I normally do before a function. I take a sip of my coffee and pull out the files on all the marine residents of the center. Looking over them, I debate which ones should be included in today's tour. I look up when I hear a knock at the door.

"Come in." I call. The door opens and Diana walks in.

"Morning." She greets. "What are you doing?"

"Going over some files." I reply. "Hey do you think it would be a good idea to visit Kennedy during the tour?" I ask her. Kennedy was our flatback sea turtle. She was found entangled in a lobster trap and due to her missing flipper, she's a permanent resident here.

"Yeah, that would be a good chance to talk about the dangers of dumping old traps into the water." Diana agrees. I nod.

"Okay then. I think they might be interested in the dolphins and sharks the most, so we'll stop by Twister's tank. And do you think Karen can put on a mini dolphin show? Kianda loves to perform."

"Yeah I'll talk to her about it." Diana offers. "But instead of stressing, why not just visit all the tanks? Except maybe Lory, he's still spewing ink uncontrollably."

"Fine." I state. "So what did you come here for anyways?"

"To talk to you… about Nixie."

"Shocking." I reply.

"No I'm being serious. I'm worried, she's not happy here, she's becoming depressed, and you know as well as I do that that's not a good thing." She informs me. She's right, saddened creatures tend to become stressed and often get sick.

"You got any ideas to change that?" I inquire.

"Yeah." Diana says. "Send her back. She's healthy and she's not hurt, there's no reason to keep her here. It's all she wants anyways is to go back to the ocean." I sigh.

"Diana, right now, that's not an option. You know how it works, she's a new species, and until we can prove there are others, she's classified as endangered, and therefore can't be released without government consent. And you know as well as I do that if we get them involved, they'll want to pick her apart. See how she functions and ensure she's not a threat. Is that where you want Nixie to end up?"

"No." Diana replies slowly. "But we can't prove there are other mermaids out there. A Nixie won't tell us, that I can guarantee."

"Then we'll have to figure something else out." I tell her. "Go talk to her. I don't want her glum when the students arrive, besides the company might do her good, she seems to like you." Diana nods.

"Alright, but promise you'll try to find a loophole. She really doesn't belong in a tank." I nod.

"I'm not cold hearted Diana." I state. Diana nods.

"I know" she says, before walking out the door.

Diana's POV

Millions of thoughts burn through my mind. Frustration was coming off me in waves. Of course I know the rules, but I chose to try and ignore them. It isn't right to keep Nixie here. It should be her choice, her right in fact. Its not like she was far from human. She even appears human when dry. Part of me wonders why I'm trying so hard. I've never been like this before.

'Because she reminds you of Meggie.' A small voice in the back of my conscience informs me. I shake my head, but I know there's no point in denying it, because it's true. I reach the door to Nixie's tank, and yank it open. The surface of the water is calm. I walk over to the edge of the pool, and sit down. A few heartbeats later, Nixie comes to the surface. I smile.

"Hey." I say.

"What are you doing here?" Nixie asks.

"I came to talk to you." I reply.

"What about?" She asks, pulling herself out of the water, and sitting beside me, with her fin dangling in the water.

"Well you were pretty upset yesterday." I answer. "I came to check on you."

"I'm fine." She lies, looking at her scales.

"No you're not." I state. "But you have every right to be upset and angry."

"Yeah well… moping won't do me any good now will it?" I can tell she's trying to cover up her emotions.

"No you're right, it won't. But locking your emotions away doesn't help either. Believe me, it just makes things worse.' I say. Nixie doesn't respond. Instead she picks at a loose scale on her tail. "You want to vent, it might make you feel better." I offer. She looks at me and raises an eyebrow.

"No offense but you're not really someone I'd want to confide in." I shrug.

"Fair enough, but you don't have too, you could get mad if you wanted. Release some steam."

"I don't think that will help here either." She replies.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be angry. I just want to go home. I have a family too you know. I miss them and I want to go back." I stare at her. Her shoulders are slouched, and for once she looks defeated.

"I'm sorry, I really am, I'm trying. I…I'll get you out of here somehow Meggie, I promise." I vow. She looks at me, startled and I try to find out why.

"Diana, um whose Meggie?" she asks.

"What?"

"Meggie. That's what you just called me." She informs me. I sigh. Maybe it's about time I got the truth out into the open.

"S-she was my daughter." I begin.

"What do you means she was?" I feel my throat close.

"Well, she um she died. I was a very young mother. Too young legally. I wasn't a kid who went looking for trouble, I was just the girl who made the mistake of walking home alone one night. My father was an alcoholic, and so my mother fled. Meggie and I went with her, but, we ran into problems. Because she was only a few months old Meggie needed constant supervision, which meant my mother could only work when I wasn't in school. It became hard to get the money we needed. Children's aid stepped in after a few months. They took Megan away because they felt I couldn't care for her. She was placed with a foster family. I was allowed to see her, but I had no say in any choices made involving her. As Megan grew up she developed some unusual qualities. She saw the world differently. She could look at someone and tell what they were feeling. She saw the light in people, but she could also see the dark side of people too. She would come up with crazy theories, and wild tales about animals and people. Her now adoptive parents were worried. They placed her in a facility for mentally damaged children. I want happy, I demanded that she be released. I'd been fighting to become Meggie's guardian again, but she belonged to them now. I continued to visit her, constantly. She hated it there. She would tell me how she felt. She would say it was like being in a cage and being told what to think. She would beg me to get her out, to take her home with me. And I tried. Then one night, I got a phone call from her adoptive parents. Megan had tried to run away from the institute and had drowned in the nearby river. I guess that was fate cursing me since my career was based around water. she was ten years old, and her only crime was being different." I smile sadly. "You remind me of her… I should have gotten her out, done everything to free her from that place. I won't make the same mistake twice Nixie. I promise." Nixie lays a hand on my knee. It shimmers like water before returning to normal.

"I'm really sorry Diana." She says, wrapping her arms around me. I hug her back. She stands up and offers me her hand. I take it and she pulls me to my feet.

"So what's your family like?" I ask her.

"Well, I have two sisters. We aren't related by blood, but that's never really mattered. Ones as stubborn as a barnacle. Once she sets her mind to something, there's no stopping her. And the other one's is like a little sister, mind you we are all the same age but she's more shy. She doesn't like fighting and is beyond loyal, but she has moments where she gets really determined and you know not to mess with her." She replies.

"What about parents? Don't you have them?" I inquire.

"We stay with our aunt. We aren't blood related to her either, but she's the only guardian we have." She states. Just then the door opens and Janice walks in.

"Hey Diana we should start getting ready for..." Janice freezes in mid-sentence. She stare at Nixie, her eyes wide with surprise. She glances at Nixie's legs and confusion crosses her features.

"Um, Diana, what happened?" she demands.

"What do you mean?" I ask innocently.

"This." She states gesturing to Nixie. "Last time I was in here she had a tail."

"Oh that, well umm its hard to explain. Nixie?" Nixie raises an eyebrow and gives me a look that reads

'Gee thanks for the help.' I try not to laugh. Janice clears her throat impatiently.

"I still have my tail, it just fades when I'm dry." Nixie says.

"So you have to be wet to get it back?" Janice inquires.

"More or less." Nixie replies.

"How wet?"

"About one drop of water would do it, but you have to be careful. I can do this, but not every mermaid can, in fact most would die if they were dried out." Nixie warns.

"That's amazing. How do you tell, if one of your kind can change." Janice asks.

"You cant." Nixie states simply.

"Well how come you can't all do that? Isn't it a survival technique?" Janice questions. Nixie shakes her head.

"That's private information. I can't tell you." She claims. Janice growls in frustration.

"You are saying that there are more of you?" Janice asks. Nixie shakes her head again.

"I didn't actually say that, but I'm not some sort of freak science experiment. I was born this, mermaids have existed just as long as humans, perhaps longer."

"Nixie you just kind of admitted that you're not the only one." I inform her.

"We still need to prove it though." Janice states. Nixie glares at her.

"No you don't. its better left a secret, and don't think you can get me to help you, I'm not a traitor." She snaps. Janice appears unfazed.

"Nothing stays a secret forever Nixie. This particular one ends today. As of now you are officially on display." Janice growls. "And you will eventually decide to help us. Without proof that you not a sole member of a species, you can't be released." With that she turns and walks out of the room, closing and locking the door behind her. Nixie turns to me.

"Th-that's not true is it?" she asks, her eyes pleading. I sigh.

"Yes it's true, by law we can't return you to the ocean unless two things have been proven. That you're not a highly endangered species, and that your race isn't a threat to humanity." I explain.

"What would happen if it was decided that we were a threat?" She asks hesitantly.

"Lets not talk about that." I say. Honestly I don't even want to think about it. if mermaids were deemed dangerous, they would be hunted down and destroyed. "Just promise me that the legends of sirens aren't true."

"Well you'd need to tell me what sirens are first." Nixie states.

"Oh. Well sirens are mermaids, mermaids whose voices enchant men. Their songs lead sailors to their deaths. Some even say sirens feast on human flesh." I explain. Nixie makes a face.

"Gross! I can promise you that we don't eat people. As for enchanting people, that part was true, but your facts are off. It wasn't our voices, it was the song. It put men under a spell. When our ancestors realized the danger of it, the song was outlawed. We don't sing it anymore." Nixie replies.

"But you know it?"

"Yes, every young mermaid is taught that song, and taught the danger of it. mind you I can't sing anyways." I nod

"Okay, that's a relief. I have to go through. We have to prepare for the tour group." I say.

"Diana wait!" Nixie calls. I stop and look at her. She bites her lip. "I-I can't be shown. Me and my sisters have been staying on land, we were cast out of our pod. The aunt I told you about. She's human, she's been covering for us, but please don't tell anyone. I can't be recognized." She explains.

"Janice is pretty set Nixie, but you could always try lying at the bottom of the tank. You can face the wall opposite the observation window, that way no one will see your face." I suggest. Her shoulders slump.

"Thousands of years our secret has been kept and I'm going to be the one to expose it. no one will be safe." She mumbles to herself, before diving into the water. I leave the room pondering if by everyone she meant mermaids, humans, or both.


	10. Chapter 10

Lyla's POV.

I walk into the building. It smelled thickly of medicine, salt water, and floor cleaner (which I once spilled all over Rita's floor, it smells awful). I look around, there are numerous hallways, and above us is the skeleton of a blue whale. Based on the marking, I'd say the bones are over fifty years old. I shake my head in frustration, those bones should be lying on the ocean floor, turning to salt and allowing new generations to honor them. two women walk up to us. I recognize the first one as the woman from the beach. The other one is tall and blue-eyed. Her hair is a light chestnut color, and a friendly look is plastered on her face.

"Welcome to the marine rescue and research center." The first woman states formally. "I'm Dr. Taylor, I'm a leading marine biologist here at the center, I'll be leading you on your tour today. This is my associate Dr. Evans. She specializes in animal psychology and care." The other woman, Dr. Evans, waves.

"Hey, I'll be tagging along today, if anyone has any additional questions about the center, or anything really, feel free to ask." She says. The group begins to walk down one of the hallways. I drone out the sound of Dr. Taylor's voice. I know most of the ocean information anyways. Then I remember I'm supposed to be here for a project. I pretend to jot down notes. Sirena went up to walk with David and Rita is at the head of the group, so I let myself fall to the back. The next thing I know I find myself next to the other woman. She smiles brightly.

"Hey." She greets.

"Umm hi." I reply uncomfortably.

"Not interested?" she asks, nodding toward the group. They're currently discussing shark feeding habits.

"No I am, I'm just not fond of crowds." I lie.

"Fair enough. You like the ocean?"

"Yeah I do." I answer. I find myself sort of liking this woman. She nods

"Its very fascinating, there's always something new to discover, if only it wasn't being destroyed." She sighs. I nod.

"People don't seem to get it. if you don't treat something right it'll die off. We need the ocean to survive." I state.

"That's a good way of looking at it, its true, what your name anyways?"

"Lyla." I tell her. "Hey you do marine rescue here right?"

"Of course." She answers.

"How long do you keep animals here before releasing them into the wild?" I ask.

"Well it depends on why a certain animal is here. If they are injured, they stay here until they've healed and then they're released. If they're sick they get treatment, but we normally keep them a little longer to make sure there are no reoccurring symptoms. Sometimes they aren't released at all but that's only in extreme cases." She explains.

"Like what?"

"Well one of our sea turtles for instance. Her right fore-flipper had to be removed, due to a major infection. She lives here now because it would be too difficult for her to navigate through ocean currents."

"Oh, that's sad. She must feel so trapped. Sea turtles spend most of their lives traveling." I say.

"That's right. We do try to change up the scenery for her every few weeks for something new."

"Umm Lyla. Don't you think you should be with the rest of the group?" I spin around to see one of the teachers from the school. She has a disapproving look on her face and her arms are crossed. How does she even know my name?

"Is there a problem Mrs. Setan?" Rita asks, walking up to us.

"I was simply reminding your niece that she should be paying attention." Mrs. Setan states.

"What are you doing back here Lyla. I thought you were interested in the ocean." Rita asks, but I know she's just playing along.

"I was just asking some questions." I reply holding up the notepad in my hand. "You know, for my project." Rita nods.

"Alright, but don't take up too much of Dr. Evans's time." Rita answers. Its coded for be careful and don't give yourself away. As if id be that stupid.

"Its really no problem, that's what I'm here for." Dr. Evans reassures everyone.

"Alright then." Rita says, she turns to the other teacher. "We should get back to the group." The other teacher nods, and they walk off.

"So your principal is your aunt?" Dr. Evans asks. "That's cool."

"Yeah she's pretty awesome, but she's not my principal, I don't go to this school. I'm here for my biology project." I reply.

"Interesting, you should get back to the group though, so you don't miss any important information." She states. I nod, deciding not to press the issue. Its not like I can demand to know where Nixie's being held. I walk back to the group and listen to the other scientist prattle on about squid ink…

Rita's POV.

I keep a close eye on Sirena and Lyla throughout the tour. They both seem on edge, but aren't drawing attention to themselves.

"And to conclude our tour, you're going to get to see our newest addition to the center." The head scientist says. I feel my heart stop in my chest. Surly she can't mean Nixie? I didn't think they'd actually consider showing her to the public, at least not this soon. I glance at Lyla and Sirena. They both seem equally worried. Lyla makes her way towards me.

"You don't think they mean…" she whispers. I nod.

"I kind of do. Let Sirena know to be ready, some of the students might recognize her. If they do they may make the connection. If that happens I want you to run to the sea. Go to mako and stay there, but don't use your powers, the less the know the better alright?" Lyla nods. She goes over to Sirena and whispers in her ear. Sirena's eyes go wide, but she quickly covers it up, a moment later she nods.

"What's your newest addition?" one of the students, Madison, asks.

"You'll have to wait and see. We found it five days ago, entangled in a fishing net." The scientist replies. The group heads towards a tank at the end of the hall. Many of the students crowd around the tank curiously.

"I don't see anything." Jeffery states. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Nixie's POV.

I sigh in boredom. How long can one tour take? I twirl a lock of my hair absentmindedly. I'm currently sitting against the wall on the deck. I had dried off about an hour ago. I occasionally hear footsteps walking down the hall but other than that it's silent. I stand up and walk to the edge of the pool. I can barely make out the observation window. But I can see it, and I can also see a bunch out people outside it. I smile. The only thing they will be discovering today is an empty tank. Satisfaction fills me as I settle against the wall again. A few moments later the door opens, startling me. I relax when I see it's just Diana.

"Nixie? Why aren't you in the water?" she demands.

"Why do you think?" I retort.

"Nixie please get in the pool."

"No. Diana get it in your head. I'm not going to be the downfall of my kind. The more you try to expose us the more I'm going to fight, I thought you understood that."

"Nixie, I know how you feel, but the whole tour group is down there and Janice is about to blow a fuse."

"And I care why? You already made it clear that unless I prove to you that I'm not the only mermaid in the world I can't leave this place, and I can't prove anything without showing you others, which you know I'm not going to do. All I've wanted since I got here was to go back to the ocean, I don't belong here. I'm not doing you any favors. I'm sorry if that sounds selfish but there's too much at stake." I exclaim, anger stirring inside me like an underwater geyser. Diana sighs.

"Nixie I don want to argue with you. I just…"

"Then leave!" I cut her off. "Diana even if you were to force me into the water, they wouldn't see anything but a flash of orange. There are places in that pool that aren't visible through that window. I know where they are, and I have no problem hiding in them. I've worked this out. I don't know how stupid you or Janice might think I am, but I'm dead serious. I. Will. Not. Be. Discovered."

"You already have been. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. You don't understand. This facility is swimming in debt, if we don't find some way to get funding soon we'll go under. I know you see us as the bad guys, but we do help sea creatures and do important work. This is one of the only places on the coast that will actually release the animals brought in. why cant you help us preserve that?"

"Because I'm still loyal to the pod that left me. Because I've been taught otherwise. Because your knowledge of our existence will put the oceans at risk. If people go hunting for mermaid, do you think, we'll be the only creatures caught in the nets, that we'll be the only ones to die? No dolphins, seals, sharks, fish, anything that swims will be at risk. And we aren't defenseless either. We've kept this a secret for thousands of years. Mermaids will fight. Then humans will get hurt and they'll blame us. They'll blame us for defending ourselves. Just like they did last time. And a slaughter will begin." I sink to my knees, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. "Four thousand years ago we were discovered. It was a danger to even surface for air. People believed that our scales could cure disease. There were so many nets. Many of our ancestors died. And when they fought back, we were labeled a bane of the sea. The water ran red. With the blood of mermaids, humans, and any innocent creature caught in the crossfire. I wont let that happen again, not on my account. You might as well leave, I'm not going to help you." Diana looks stricken.

"I'm sorry Nixie. I didn't know."

""How could you? It was thousands of years ago." I state.

"I'll talk to Janice. See if we can work something out alright?"

"Do whatever you want. I don't care. So long as I stay a secret, what you do is your business." I reply, hating how broken I sound. But it's true I guess. I'm starting to break. Just like any other sea creature that's been ripped from the ocean. I'm dimly aware of the door closing as Diana leaves. A wave of nausea washes over me, and suddenly I feel like I have no energy. I press my back against the wall and bury my head in my knees, waiting for it to pass.

Diana's POV.

I make my way back to the group, my head reeling with the information I just learned. No wonder Nixie is dead set against this. Janice walks up to me.

"Well?" she asks. I shake my head.

"I don't think they're going to be able to see anything today. Its not a good idea to press the matter right now, I'll talk to you about it later alright?" I inform her firmly. Janice mutters a curse under her breath.

"Damn it, that girl is going to make us look like bloody fools." She exclaims.

"Shh Janice keep your voice down, just say it was an orca in the tank, but it's been moved for medical reasons and that we were just informed. The day is practically over anyways, so sound worried and send the class on their way." Janice nods.

"Ok we'll go with that, but I am having a long heated conversation with her later." Janice states. She walks back to the group. I decide to hang back. I watch the teacher round up the students and lead them back to the bus. They must have bought our story. I narrow my eyes. I could have sworn I just saw Lyla look back at Nixie's tank with a worried expression on her face. I shake my head, I'm way overstressed, I'm probably imagining things. I push it to the back of my mind, but I still can't help but wonder.

**Okay so that's that. The whole history of a great battle between mermaids and human isn't part of the show, I made it up, I just felt that there needed to have been some sort of event that happened in the past. Nixie and all the other mermaids are so worried about being discovered, something had to have invoked that fear right? Anyways thank you all for reading. And a special thank you to Pixiedragon25 for the advice. I hope to be able to continue updating more frequently. Anyways as always please review; you have no idea how much power your words have on my writing.**

**-mermaid **


	11. Chapter 11

Janice's POV

I storm down the hall, with Diana hot on my heels.

"Janice, would you calm down for just a second please." She asks. I shake my head.

"No Diana, I've had enough of that mermaid and her attitude." I state angrily.

"There is a pretty good explanation."

"You say that every time. Now if you want to come, come but shut up, otherwise, you can leave." I snap. I burst through the door to Nixie's aquarium. The door bangs loudly against the wall, making Diana wince. I look around and find Nixie curled up against the wall.

"What on earth was that? You were supposed to be in the water. You've made us look like fools!" I yell. Nixie ignores me, and keeps her head buried in her knees. "Why? What could honestly be so bad about helping this place out? Because that's what your appearance would have done." I continue to rant.

"Umm Janice hang on a sec." Diana says, walking over to Nixie. She places a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Nixie? Honey are you alright?" she asks.

"I'm not sure… I feel really…tired and sorta dizzy. Drained almost." Nixie replies in a faint whisper. Diana presses her forearm against Nixie's head.

"You're running a temperature, that's for sure. Maybe you need to get in the water? How long are you able to stay on land?"

"I-I've done roughly twelve hour before and I've never felt like this."

"Well come on, stand up. It can't hurt to cool off." Diana suggests. She grabs Nixie's arm and pulls her to her feet. Nixie's legs tremble, as if they don't want to support her weight. Diana is practically holding her up.

"Nixie are you…" Diana is cut off as Nixie's eyes roll back and her legs buckle. She slumps to the floor.

"Nixie!" Diana cries. "Janice, something's wrong, go get Sarah." I nod and rush off. Guilt runs through me. The poor girl is sick and I was sitting there ranting and being a jerk. I've got to learn to keep my temper in check.

Rita's POV.

I sigh as we finally get in the house. Today was a long, stressful, and relatively unhelpful day.

"Well that was a big waste of time." Lyla comments bitterly.

"Well I think we can guess what tank Nixie was being held in." I say. "But you're right it doesn't help much.

"Maybe one of us could get a job there. We could learn some helpful information." Sirena suggests. I shake my head.

"As good an idea as that is, I don't like the idea of either of you working at a place full of water."

"What if we didn't do something that involves water? Then we'd be alright." She insists.

"Sirena, it doesn't always work like that. We'll have to think of something else." I state.

"I could go talk to that Dr. Evans woman again. She seemed pretty talkative, and the other woman already knows that I know about Nixie, I was there that day. She did tell me that I was welcome to stop by." Lyla mentions.

"That's actually not a half bad idea." I murmer, thinking. If Lyla goes through with this, we could learn quite a bit. Maybe enough to break Nixie out. "Alright." I agree. "But be careful." Lyla nods.

"When can I go?" she asks.

"Tomorrow." I reply. "It's too late tonight. Go back to mako, get some sleep, an form a plan. Stop by here before you go alright, and let me know that you're alright when you get back." Lyla nods.

"Come on Sirena, let's go. Bye Rita." Lyla says, waving.

"Bye girls." I answer. I watch them leave for the bookcase, before heading into the kitchen to feed Poseidon.

Sarah's POV.

I rush up to the second floor. The door to the aquarium is already open. When I get inside I find Diana on the floor beside an unconscious Nixie. It takes me a moment to realize that instead of a tail Nixie has legs. I quickly get over the shock and lay a blanket on the floor.

"Here let's move her onto this." I say, indicating to the blanket. Diana nods and slowly starts to stand up. "Do you need help moving her?" I ask. Diana shakes her head.

"No. I've got her." She replies, scooping the teen into her arms. She walks over and sets Nixie down on the blanket.

"Want to tell me what happened?" I inquire.

"She was complaining about being dizzy and feeling really tired, and the she just passed out." Diana says. I nod, rummaging through my bag.

"How was she before?"

"She was fine about an hour ago when I was up here talking to her," Diana states. I pull out a thermometer. I hand it to Diana.

"Can you take her temperature please?" I ask. Diana nods, and sticks the thermometer into Nixie's ear. After a few seconds it beeps. Diana removes it and looks at the reading.

"Its normal. That's odd, she felt a little feverish earlier, but now she's fine. According to this at least." I purse my lips.

"Hmm, I'm not sure what to make of that." I pull out a stethoscope, and listen to her heartbeat. It appears to be slowing down quite a lot. It isn't irregular or off in any way, its just slow. Like she was going into hibernation. I mention this to Diana. She frowns.

"That doesn't seem likely. Marine animal don't hibernate, especially ones that need to surface for air. Besides even if that were the case she wouldn't just drop, and she would know, she would have told us."

"I know, its actually more like a self-induced coma. Her whole body is shutting down." I say.

"What could have caused that?" Diana questions.

"Dehydration, starvation, radiation, a number of things, but none that apply to this situation. She has regular food and water, and there's no radiation in this building." I comment. "I don't understand it."

"Could it kill her? Whatever has happened to her, could it harm her or cause serious damage." Diana asks.

"That might depend on how long it lasts, but yes, it could most likely cause serious damage, or potentially end her life." I admit grimly…

**Okay really depressing chapter. Not to mention short, and for that I apologize, things will pick up, I promise. Oh btw I forgot to ask in the last chapter, but can anyone guess where Diana's last name (Evans) comes from? I'll give you a hint. Its harry potter related. If you know the answer feel free to leave it in a review or pm me, whichever works. Again like always, I really appreciate comments and constructive criticism, so feel free to review. Thanks.**

**-Mermaid **


	12. Chapter 12

Lyla's POV

I quickly surface to gain my bearings. I had stopped by Rita's twenty minutes ago. She said I should be okay to swim to the center, as long as I was careful when I got out of the water. I can see the building; it's about twelve meters away. It's a good thing it's located on the coast. I dunk back under the water and swim the last few meters. I find a small patch of sand hidden by boulders and drag myself out. Using my powers I dry off in record time. I stand up and brush sand off my jeans, before walking through the entrance. There are a few people roaming around the building, but, otherwise it looks pretty empty. My eyes fall on a young man leaning against one wall. He's wearing a short white lab coat. He must work here. I walk over to him. A little name tag on his coat, informs me that his name is Erin. He looks up from the clipboard in his hand.

"Hello. Can I help you?" he asks. I nod.

"I'm looking for Dr. Evans, I was hoping to talk to her. Is she available?" I inquire, trying to sound as polite as possible. He looks thoughtful.

"Dr. Evans is a very busy woman. She does a lot of important work around here. You could try setting up a meeting if it's important, but otherwise, your questions can be answered by other staff members." He replies.

"Please." I force a smile onto my face. "Could you just see if she's busy? Or if she wouldn't mind talking to me for a moment?" he hesitates.

"I suppose I can ask. Wait here." He relents.

"No problem." I reply, watching him walk off. I walk over to the nearest tank and look inside. Two bottle-nosed dolphins are swimming around. One of them comes over to investigate me. He watches me curiously and I smile. I press my hand against the glass and he rubs his nose against the reflection. Footsteps echo behind me, and I turn around. Dr. Evans walks toward me. She nods at the dolphin.

"His name is Cole. And over there is his sister Kianda." She says. "Lyla right? You said you wanted to talk to me?" I nod.

"Yeah if you're not too busy." I say.

"I do have to get back to work soon, but I have a few minutes." She smiles bt I can see worry in her eyes. She seems edgy as if she'd rather be elsewhere.

"I was wondering what happened to the… mermaid that was down at the docks." I state. Confusion flickers across her face.

"How did you know…"

"I was down there that day. Dr. Taylor told me that I was welcome to see her if I wanted as long as I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want to ask yesterday because there were to many people." I explain.

"Normally I'd have no problem showing you, but right now is not a good time."

"Why?" I ask. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes. She's sick. We're working on figuring out what's wrong, but she's not in the greatest state right now. That needs to stay between us by the way." Horror worms its way through me. What have they done to Nixie?

"Could I please see her?" I beg. "I know I'm just some random girl off the street, but I really do care. Please, I promise I can keep a secret, maybe I can even help." I pour all my worry into convincing her. I can hear the desperation in my voice, and normally that would make me wince but right now I was terrified. Dr. Evans's face softens. She considers what I've said from for a moment.

"I suppose. But you have to promise to be quiet and not touch anything. You really shouldn't be up there, but I understand your need to know. C'mon." I nod eagerly and follow her to the second floor. She pulls open a door and gestures for me to go inside. I do and she follows me in. there a woman in the room. She looks up, stares at me for a moment and looks at Dr. Evans.

"Umm Diana should she be…"

"Its okay Sarah. Where's Janice?" Dr. Evans, Diana, asks.

"She went down the hall for a moment." Sarah answers. Diana nods.

"How is she?" she asks. I realize that Nixie is also in the room. She's lying in a very small tank. Her head is lolled to the side and the water barely makes it up to her chest.

"There not really any change. Its so bizarre." Sarah replies. Diana walks over and rests a hand on Nixie's shoulder.

"Come on Nixie, wake up." she mutters. How does she know Nixie's name. what else does she know?

"What's wrong with her?" I ask tentatively, fearing the answer. Sarah shakes her head.

"We aren't fully sure yet. I believe she gone into a type of self-induced coma, but I have to figure out why before we can go about waking her up." she explains. I bite my lip and walk closer to Nixie. I keep an eye on the water as well. I can tell just by looking at her, that she isn't just sleeping. Her skin is much paler than normal and I can barely make out the rise and fall of her chest. She looks so lifeless. Suddenly I can't bear to look at her. My stomach lurches and I feel like I'm going to vomit.

"I'm sorry, I, I have to go." I stutter, before turning on my heel and fleeing the room. I barge past Dr. Taylor on her way in and she looks startled, but I keep running. I burst through the doors and into the sunlight. I run and dive into the ocean without checking to make sure no one was around. I race back to Rita's grotto.

As my head breaks the surface of the pool, I take a deep breath, trying to calm down. I drag myself out of the water and dry off. I barely manage to stand up, my legs are shaking so bad. Making my way up the stairs, I walk into the kitchen. Rita and Sirena are both sitting at the table. They look up when I walk in.

"Lyla, what's wrong?" Sirena asks.

"Nixie's really sick." I blurt out. Tears well in my eyes, and I finally let them fall. Rita stands up and wraps her arms around me.

"Shh, Lyla, it'll be alright. How do you know Nixie's sick?"

"They said so. They said something about a self induced coma. Rita whats a coma? I saw her too. She looks nearly dead. I'm really scared." I hiccup. Sirena pats my back.

"Oh no." Rita says, her eyes widening.

"What? Rita do you know what's wrong with her?" Sirena demands, the fear evident on her face.

"I have an idea, but we have to move quickly. We need to get over there right now. Come on we'll swim over. Nixie's life is in serious jeopardy right now, so we have to hurry."

**I'm sorry for the lack of answers. I promise that the next chapter will be more forthcoming. I haven't decided whether or not I should start wrapping this story up. I don't want to drag it on, but I don't want to end it to early either. What do you all think? Please review, your opinions do matter.**

**-Mermaid**


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